Firefighters prevented a suspicious house fire in Gore from spreading to other properties early this morning.
The fire, in Hamilton St, started just before 1am and nobody was in the house at the time, a Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman said.
It was well ablaze when firefighters from the Gore station arrived, he said.
Crews were also sent from Mataura and Pukerau.
The fire initially threatened nearby properties, but firefighters contained it at the affected property, the Fenz spokesman said.
Fire investigators were at the scene this morning and firefighters dealt with flare-ups.
The investigators considered the fire to be suspicious and police have been notified.
